Upper Darby Township Initiative

Summary:

Mayor Barbarann Keffer and her team are partnering with the Delco Skatepark Coalition in an effort to bring a concrete skatepark to the community. The team has worked closely together to survey residents of Delaware County, host a pop-up skatepark, conduct a site-evaluation, and have started the conversation on fund-raising/resource-allocation.

Pop-Up Skatepark:

The Delco Skatepark Coalition and Mayor Barbarann Keffer of Upper Darby Township partnered to host a pop-up skatepark at Observatory Fields to help prove why Delaware County needs more skateparks. Hundreds of skaters, spectators, sponsors and vendors showed up to show their support for building a skatepark and creating a diverse and inclusive community within their county. We interviewed patrons of the event. This is their story.

Site Evaluation:

We then provided site assessments for potential skateparks by looking at a range of site attributes and community-specific features. This analysis considered the impacts that a skatepark may have on a community, and how well a skatepark would work within each existing space.

Four potential sites in Upper Darby were evaluated in November 2021 by several members of the Coalition board. These sites include Observatory Fields, Sellers Park, Beverly Hills Recreation Area and Penn Pines.

We looked at the amount of recreational space available at each site to support the Upper Darby population, as well as how accessible each park was relative to walkability, parking and access to public transportation. Visibility of the park was also considered and is important for safety reasons.

We balanced the importance of neighborhood accessibility with access to commercial businesses. Proximity to residential neighborhoods is important, but so is quiet enjoyment for homeowners, so parks with fewer directly adjacent homes were ranked higher.

As skateparks offer recreation to youth and adults, we looked at convenience factors like being co-located with playgrounds or ball fields, as well as closeness to schools, restroom facilities and places to eat.